Queer As Tachi – Chapter 17
Yugi sat at his grandfather’s side for an hour before he finally awoke, though he was fairly groggy and complained of being in pain, bad enough to rob him of his usual jovial nature. Yugi went with him as he was brought back up to his room, but Grandpa clearly needed to be left alone to sleep, so Yugi held his hand and wished him a good night before dragging himself out to the car to drive back home. The late hour coupled with his emotional exhaustion sent him straight to sleep the minute he fell onto his bed, not even bothering to change, meaning he would have to postpone calling relatives to let them know how Grandpa was doing until the morning. He fell asleep so quickly that he never had time to dread the alarm that would be hauling him out early for another day in the shop. As much as he wanted to return to the hospital to hold vigil throughout Grandpa Muto’s recovery, he knew he couldn’t keep the shop closed for too long. They were going to need the income, and soon.
The ringing alarm cut through Yugi’s murky dreams and forced him to pry himself out of bed to reach and turn it off, enough movement to prevent him from simply rolling over and going back to sleep. For a while he went about getting ready in a blind daze, shucking out of his clothes and picking out a fresh set, going to shower, and heading into the kitchen for food without a thought for the process. Yami knew his mind and feelings, but left him to himself for a while, not wanting to intrude out of an understanding that Yugi needed to just get things done before he would be in the mood to have a disembodied pharaoh crooning encouragement to him. He stood by patiently observing as Yugi phoned his aunt Keiko again, telling her everything that had happened and working out a plan with her to allow her to come up and stay with Grandpa during the days, so Yugi could run the store and then go and see him at night. The more they talked, the more Yugi’s heart warmed to think that together, he and his aunt would make sure that Grandpa wasn’t alone and the shop didn’t have to close. He could maintain shorter hours, quick grab some dinner, and get down to the hospital to catch the last part of visiting hours before coming home to sleep and then do it all over again. After that, he called his grandfather’s room, but the nurse who answered said he was sleeping and promised to give him the message that Yugi had called and wanted to say “I miss you and I love you” in addition to the information about Keiko’s arrival. At last, more awake and a little more heartened, Yugi headed downstairs to open the shop, and he heard the first words in his mind for the day. “It’s good to see you’re not alone after all,” the pharaoh mused. “You have friends and relatives who can help you out. You don’t have to do everything on your own.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Yugi murmured as he moved about the shop getting it ready. “It’s just my instinct, you know? To want to help, to want to take care of everything. After all, he’s my Grandpa, my only real family now. We have to look out for each other. I’m almost an adult, it’s time for me to start repaying him for taking care of me most of my life.”
“That may be so,” Yami conceded in a warm tone, “but I’m sure Grandpa would be the first person to say he wouldn’t want you to exhaust yourself or sacrifice your happiness for his sake. He will understand if you can’t be there every hour of the day.”
Though he said nothing in response, Yugi knew his partner was right, and just smiled as he unlocked the door and flipped the sign to “open.” Without the uncertainty of the day before plaguing him, he could relax and just worry about the normal duties befitting a shop owner, customers and money and shipments and questions. A smattering of phone calls from concerned friends reminded Yugi that all was not well quite yet, but their well-wishes and kind offers lifted his spirits just enough. Tristan even called on his lunch break; he had gotten the news right away but gave Yugi a couple of days to get his affairs in order before annoying him with questions and platitudes. It was a nice break in the day, a friendly voice amidst the usual run of moronic queries and brief calls about shop hours. Truth be told, Yugi didn’t have a terrible day, this first full day of running the shop by himself from open to close. He had a new appreciation for Grandpa doing it all by himself all those years, that was for sure. Yami was only internal mental entertainment now, he couldn’t actually help or keep company save via their soul bond, meaning that when a customer was in the shop, Yugi had to be careful lest he start smiling randomly and chase the disturbed customer out. The early closing time crept up on him all too quickly, and he was busy writing out a new hand-lettered sign to post in the window about Kame’s temporary change in hours when the door jingled to admit what he hoped would be the last customer of the day. Yugi looked up and broke out in a shy smile. “Mai. Hi there.”
“Hey, Yugi,” Mai said in her usual sultry tone, glancing around. “Wow, I think this is the first time I’ve ever been in your shop. It’s cute.” She stalked across the shop to the main counter, her high-heeled boots clicking on the tiled floor. “And look at you…running the whole show.”
Yugi leaned on the counter and gave a blushing smile. “Yeah…it’s not that hard, really.” He blinked up at her as she came in front of him. “So…what brings you here?”
“Oh, well, you know,” Mai sighed, tossing her hair. “I was looking around the city, seeing if there were any jobs that suited me, got kind of bored.” She winked to put Yugi at ease, and then smiled more calmly. “I thought I’d check up on you. How are you doing?”
“Okay, I guess,” Yugi answered as casually as he could. “All things considered.”
“How’s your grandpa? How late were you there last night with him?”
“I don’t know exactly…it was after eleven. I stayed until he woke up, and then I came home so he could sleep.” Yugi lowered his eyes, feeling the first waves of discomfort since not being able to reach him by phone that morning. “I haven’t been able to talk to him. My Aunt Keiko came into town to sit with him all day, but I want to go down there once I close the shop.”
Mai cocked her head curiously. “You want a ride?”
Yugi started in surprise. “Mai?”
“Come on. I’ve still got that cool convertible I rented – I can take you down there.” She smiled, looking completely sweet and kind, no sarcasm or flippancy intended. “It’s the least I can do for you, to help you out.”
He contemplated it a moment, and then gave a soft sigh and smiled back. “That would be great of you, Mai. Give me a few minutes to close up here, and we can go.”
It was a nice enough evening to have the top down, and Yugi sat with his face tilted up into the wind as they drove, his hands clasped demurely in his lap and his mind a million miles away. Mai glanced aside at him, and after a long silence, decided to try to talk to him. “Joey caught me up on all the stuff about school,” she mentioned. “How’s it going?”
Yugi glanced at her. “Well, I’m not failing,” he said as cheerfully as he could. “I don’t know. My heart just isn’t in it. I’ve never liked school.”
“Well, neither has Joey,” Mai pointed out, “and look at him.”
“Yeah,” Yugi smiled. “I’m proud of him. He’s really trying to make something out of himself.” He glanced at her again. “And…it helps that you’re here, now. It’s a big encouragement to him.”
“You think so?” Mai smiled, though she kept her eyes on the road ahead. “I’m pretty sure he could get through life without me, if he had to. But I won’t lie…I’m having fun.” She darted a quick glance toward him. “How much does he tell you?”
Yugi laughed. “Joey and I are best friends, he tells me everything, of course.” He quieted and looked back out at the world flashing past them. “It’s okay, Mai. You guys have to take little steps. Relationships take work. Just be yourselves, and let it happen naturally.”
Mai snorted. “Easy for you to say. You and your boyfriend can read each other’s minds. Makes communication a whole lot easier, I’d say.”
“Yeah, but we still talk,” Yugi explained. “And we don’t always agree on everything. We just happen to be of the same mind about most things.” He looked toward her again. “And he can’t read my mind when he’s out of the Puzzle. Our bond doesn’t extend to that.”
“Well, don’t take it for granted, then.” Mai smiled wryly again. “The rest of us have to do it the hard way.”
Yugi chuckled good-naturedly, turning his face into the wind once more. A few blocks drifted past before he spoke again. “How is the search going? You said you were looking for jobs?”
“Yeah…it’s kind of tough,” Mai sighed, sweeping back a lock of hair that the wind kept blowing in her face. “I don’t really know what I’m looking for. I don’t want to just be some secretary, but I may have to go with it until something better comes along.” She pouted a little. “And I have to find a place to live. I can’t go on paying for short-term boarding like this.”
“What about Joey?” Yugi asked, turning innocent eyes on her.
Mai gave a short laugh. “Sorry, Yugi, but I don’t think we should be moving in together this early in the relationship.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Yugi cautioned. “He has two bedrooms. You could be roommates.” He smiled more brightly. “Think of it as a crash course in getting to know each other. You could probably learn more about each other in a couple of weeks than you would in months of regular old dating.”
Mai did something of a double-take in his direction before smiling. “Always the optimist, Yugi,” she complimented. “You really think something like that would work?”
“That’s up to you guys.” Yugi gazed absently out the front window. “But you need a place to live, and Joey has room. It might not be easy, but if you want to be here so you can make things work with him, I can’t think of a better test. If you guys can’t stand to be roommates, you can’t be anything else.”
Mai drove in silence for a while, turning it over in her head. It seemed too good to be true, but she had to admit that Yugi was right about a lot of things. She glanced at him, finding him still watching the traffic go by as they drove, looking perfectly calm and innocent – naïve, she used to think, but these days, she felt less inclined to use that word. He may be a lot of things, she said to herself, but Yugi knows more than he lets on. “Yugi,” she began to ask, “do you think…Joey would let me invade his space like that?”
“We’ve talked about it,” Yugi admitted. “He just isn’t sure he should ask you. He wants you to be comfortable, he’s afraid of scaring you off again.” A sly tone came into his voice. “I can talk to him. If you want him to know he’s afraid of nothing, that is.”
Mai chuckled under her breath. “Well…” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe you could mention, offhand, that I’m still looking. I have to admit, it would be a lot easier to just do that, than search for my own place and have to put up with all the fees and crap.”
“I will,” Yugi laughed. He was silent for another few blocks, but then Mai heard him say something in a softer tone. “Joey loves you, Mai. All he wants is for you to feel wanted.”
Mai said nothing in return, but her cheeks flushed pink as she kept her eyes studiously focused on the road ahead of them. The turn to the hospital was just ahead, anyway.
When they got up to Grandpa Muto’s room, they found him lounging in bed all by himself – Yugi’s aunt was nowhere to be seen. Grandpa was pleased to see Yugi, and then his eyes widened to find Mai coming in behind him. “Well, this is a surprise,” he said gruffly.
“Mai gave me a ride,” Yugi explained as he sat down next to the bed. “How are you doing, Grandpa? Where’s Aunt Keiko?”
“You just missed her,” Grandpa replied. “She left just when they were bringing me dinner, probably to get some herself.”
Yugi sighed tiredly and slumped in the chair, resting a hand on his stomach. “Oh yeah, dinner. I didn’t stop to get some, I just came right here.”
Mai placed a hand on his shoulder. “You want me to go get you something? They’ve got to have some kind of cafeteria, it’s a hospital after all.”
“Oh, you don’t have to,” Yugi tried to say, looking up to her. “I’ll be fine.”
Mai wagged a finger at him. “No you won’t. You just sit there and visit with your grandpa, I’ll go find the cafeteria.” She winked at both Mutos. “I’m sure there’s a cute doctor around here who can show me the way.”
Grandpa surreptitiously ogled her as she turned and sashayed out of the room. Yugi just sighed again. “Everybody’s being so nice,” he murmured. “I don’t know how to thank them all.”
Grandpa Muto patted his hand as it rested on the bed next to him. “Just continue to be the same Yugi they’ve always called their friend. It’s what friends do. They look out for each other with no expectation of thanks.”
Yugi smiled at him. “So, answer my question. How are you?”
Grandpa smiled back, though Yugi could see he still looked tired. “I’ve been better,” he confessed. “But all things considered, I’ve been worse, too. A lot of naps and some good painkillers and I’ll be back to normal in no time.”
“That’s good,” Yugi said.
“And now your turn.” Solomon ruffled a hand atop his grandson’s drooping bangs. “You look tired. Did you have any trouble taking care of the shop? I want to hear all about your day.”
Yugi settled into the chair and spent a while talking it out, telling his grandpa everything salient about his day in the shop and what he planned to do the rest of the week until Grandpa could be brought home to rest. About halfway through, Mai returned with a simple bento box for Yugi, and sat on the edge of the bed to participate in the conversation while he ate. Grandpa had known she was in town, via Yugi, but naturally Yugi did not share everything about the goings-on of his friends with his grandfather. It seemed to simply cheer Grandpa up to listen to the kids talk about their lives and friendships – or, more likely, to see Mai in her low-cut blouse sitting on his bed. Yugi assured her she didn’t have to stay if she didn’t want to, but she claimed she didn’t have anything else to do that night and didn’t mind staying, so Yugi could get a ride home when visiting hours were over. They stayed until then, when the nurses chased them out so Solomon could get his rest, and Mai blew him a kiss on her way out the door. It exasperated Yugi, but he couldn’t help but giggle, knowing that little things like that would be the best medicine for his grandpa above all.
Each day that week turned out more or less the same. Yugi woke early to open the shop, fielding occasional phone calls from extended family who had finally heard about Grandpa’s surgery and friends who wanted to know if they could be of help, and closed around dinnertime in order to quickly grab food and go down to the hospital. One night Tristan volunteered to take him, on his motorcycle, but when Grandpa Muto found out he scolded his grandson for riding dangerously, so the rest of the week he had to bus or get a ride from Mai. As Joey was intent on looking after his best friend to the best of his ability, he was often along on those trips, taking care of small errands so Yugi didn’t have to waste time that could be spent sitting at his grandfather’s side. Solomon was improving steadily, but he still had enough pain and shortness of breath to require the full week’s stay. Each night when Yugi came in, he was amused to see more vases of flowers and other trinkets that had been delivered to his grandpa to wish him well, mostly from family, except for a small bunch of flowers from Joey, Tristan, and Mai, and a Christmas cactus delivered on behalf of his old friend Arthur Hawkins. He had gotten the news from Yugi via email, and sent along his wishes for a speedy recovery and Yugi’s sanity, a message which cracked the young man up – Professor Hawkins knew all too well how much Solomon Muto could annoy his caretakers when laid up and bored. Yugi took some of the presents home when he could in anticipation, but left some so they would brighten up the room. He did finally cross paths with his aunt, when she decided to stay long enough to greet him. She didn’t linger long, though, because that was the night all of the boys descended on Grandpa to pay their respects, and a pack of noisy boys was not something she wanted to deal with.
At last, the day came when the doctors cleared Mr. Muto to be taken home to continue his recovery, and Yugi drove himself down to pick him up and load in more flowers, since all of his friends were away enjoying the sakura festival as they had planned. He deliberately did not tell them Grandpa was being discharged, he didn’t want them putting aside their fun for his sake, especially since he could handle it himself. The doctor in charge of Grandpa’s health gave him a checklist of things to avoid, things to watch out for, and medications he needed to take, leaving Mr. Muto with a grumpy pout and very little fun to look forward to until he was allowed to be back in his store. It would be up to Yugi to make sure he stuck to his regimen, and be stern about it. While his friends were down by the park, eating festival food and watching fireworks, Yugi brought his grandpa home and helped him upstairs, settling him into his own bed at last and taking another hour himself to do something with all the flowers and gifts and clean the house before flopping into his bed and falling fast asleep in seconds. From within, Yami watched over him in concern, having no intention of trying to wake him up to talk to him no matter how worried he was about his young love. It was still three weeks until the next full moon, the pharaoh hoped he would not have to wait until then to be able to hold Yugi and assure him by his mere presence that everything was going to be all right. In the present, he didn’t even have Yugi’s attention long enough to be able to speak the words.
The sign on the front door of Kame game shop now read, “Will open at noon,” to explain the locked door and darkened windows Monday morning. It was the only time Yugi could meet with anyone on campus during their office hours, but now that Grandpa was home he could keep the shop open later to make up for it. He rapped with his knuckles on the office door and heard a voice behind it invite him in, so he pushed the door open and peeked hesitantly inside. The professor behind the desk offered him a welcoming enough smile. “Yugi Muto,” he noticed. “Right on time.”
Yugi tried to smile back. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice,” he said shyly. “I don’t have much chance to get away from the shop right now.”
“Yes, that’s right. How is your grandfather?” the professor wondered as he gestured to an empty chair across from him.
“He’s doing better,” Yugi replied, sliding into the chair. “He’s out of the hospital. But the doctors want him on bed rest for a month, so I have to run the store in his place until then.”
“Ah, that’s unfortunate.” The professor dug under a stack of term papers and found the file he had set aside for this meeting, flipping it open. “You were doing so well up until this point. The university’s policies don’t give you much compensation for family emergencies, you will probably have to take an Incomplete in all your classes and finish the coursework over the summer to make up for it.”
“That’s…actually what I wanted to talk to you about, sir.” Yugi clasped his hands nervously in his lap to keep from fidgeting. “You see…I’ve been thinking about maybe just…dropping out.”
The professor’s eyes widened considerably. “But, Yugi,” he protested, “this is not a huge obstacle in your path. You can make up for it very easily, there’s no reason to think that missing a month of classes is the end of your academic career…”
“It’s not the missed classes, sir…” Yugi shook his head slowly. “I just don’t think university is for me. I’ve gone through this year doing my best, but I’ve felt this way since long before my Grandpa’s health was in question.” He lifted his eyes to the professor’s face. “But, since you’re my advisor, I thought I should talk it over with you before making my decision.”
The man held his gaze for a moment before looking down at the file again, paging through it. “That is a wise idea, Yugi. Are you sure about this? You’re positive you wouldn’t just do better with a different line of study?”
Yugi smiled very faintly. “I’m sure. There isn’t really anything else I’m interested in. My grandpa’s game store is a stable business, something I can work my way into and maybe someday own myself. I’ve been handling it alone for a week and I know it’s something I can do.”
The advisor sighed, still paging through the file containing Yugi’s class records. “Yes, I suppose there is that,” he admitted. “It’s disappointing to hear you want to quit school, but I can understand your position. Many of your professors have remarked that it seemed classes hold no interest for you, that your mind was always elsewhere.”
Yugi nodded. “It may be hard to understand,” he said softly, “but I know, deep down in my heart, that just going through the motions of attending class and studying is pointless for me. I have something I have to do in my life, and university isn’t a part of that. I gave it a try, I really did,” he added with a big, innocent look at his advisor. “I wanted to be sure, and now I am.”
The professor closed the file on his desk with a sigh. “It sounds like your mind is made up. Yugi, I can’t force you to continue your schooling. Only you can decide whether you want to be here. But having a family business that you can enter into is good, I would be far more concerned if you didn’t have some idea of where you wanted to go in life.” He fixed a sympathetic gaze on Yugi. “I can’t help but feel a little sad when a student wants to quit, even under the right circumstances. If you ever decide that you would like to resume your studies, someday, your file will still be here at the university. Just ask your professors to dismiss you with an Incomplete in each course, that will leave the door open for you.”
A confident smile awakened on Yugi’s face. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate the advice.”
“Whatever you choose to do with your life,” the professor concluded, reaching across the desk to shake his hand, “do your best. No one can fault you for that.”
The mechanics of ending his school career could be taken care of on another day, Yugi needed to get back to the shop. He took a deep breath of the warm spring breeze and looked out at the campus one last time before walking to the bus stop. He had mentioned his thoughts on the matter to Joey, but hadn’t told anyone he had decided to quit school just yet. Only his partner knew, and now, as Yugi stood waiting for the bus to take him back home, Yami drifted into view beside him as a phantom with kind eyes. “It will be all right, Yugi,” he murmured comfortingly. “The others will understand. They may ask me why I didn’t try to talk you out of it,” he added with some humor, “but I’m not worried.”
“I know,” Yugi sighed, looking up to the blue sky stretching above them. Though his heart was firm and unwavering, his eyes held a shade of melancholy. “I can’t explain to people like my professors or my advisor about my destiny…it wouldn’t make sense to them. A so-called ‘normal’ life of school and then a job and a family and eventually retiring, like every other boring person in the world, isn’t for me. I have something bigger to fulfill, someday.”
“I agree,” the pharaoh said seriously. “I knew better than to tell you to stay in school, even though it would have been very responsible-sounding of me. I know that this isn’t for you, and trying to fit into the concept of normal would only have stifled your spirit. You don’t belong here, and I don’t intend to force you to try.”
Yugi’s smile returned, hearing that. “Thanks, Yami. I knew there was a reason I loved you.”
The bus was coming up the street, but they still had a few minutes. Yami’s internal voice dropped to a sweet tone. “I miss you, my love,” he murmured. “I’m proud of you for taking charge of the shop and your grandpa’s care, but I also see what it’s doing to you. Can I hold you, just once?”
Yugi closed his eyes right there, letting his inner vision focus on the shape of the pharaoh’s spirit. In his mind’s eye, he reached out and clasped the spirit’s hands. “I don’t need you to hold me to know you’re there,” he encouraged. “You’ve been with me every second, you’ve been so attentive and kind. I don’t feel abandoned, don’t worry.”
The image of Yami smiled faintly back. “It isn’t need,” he said gently. “It’s want. I want to hold you and show you that the world will still go on if you let your attention wander for a few minutes.”
Yugi gave a little gasp, lifting his head in time to see the bus pull up to the stop. “I’m sorry,” he lamented inwardly as he climbed on board and waved his bus pass. “Tonight, I’ll come see you. After close.”
“It’s not a demand,” the pharaoh’s voice said faintly in his mind. “I just don’t want you to sacrifice your own happiness for anything. If seeing me for a few minutes will make you happy, then I will welcome you into the Puzzle with open arms.”
Yugi slumped into a seat and closed his eyes again, though this time merely to keep his emotions from rising and overwhelming him. Until he heard that velvety purr in his mind, he hadn’t realized how much he craved his lover’s attention, his arms, his kiss. His body ached with longing. “Tonight,” he promised. “I want to.”
Upon returning home, Yugi went upstairs first to make sure Grandpa didn’t need anything, and then came back down to the shop to open for the day. He figured there wouldn’t be anyone salivating at the door to be let in anyway, it was usually somewhat slow during the morning. The only message on the shop’s phone was from Joey, who had called there instead of the house just in case Grandpa was sleeping. Yugi was glad to hear his voice, but decided to wait until later in the afternoon to call him back. He knew Joey was in class at the moment anyway. A good part of the day passed in relative calm, and having made his decision about school left Yugi in a much better mood now that he didn’t have to fret constantly about the classes he was missing. His only worry was breaking the news to Grandpa and his friends, but he could handle that later. For now, his attention needed to be on customers and the shop, and he didn’t have any trouble with it.
Late in the afternoon, Yugi looked up from arranging a new display of cards to see that the jingle of the door had announced a delivery man holding a rather lovely arrangement of flowers. “Have I got this right?” the guy wondered, looking at his sheet. “For a Solomon Muto?”
“That’s my grandpa,” Yugi smiled, “I can sign for it.” He plucked the little plastic stamp from its resting place next to the register and stamped the Muto name on the man’s sheet, and then took the vase gingerly from him, hunting around for the card. “Thanks,” he added.
The man tipped his cap and left. Yugi carried the flowers over to the counter and set them down so he could find the card, intensely curious about who might have sent them. There was an envelope tucked in between the green stems, much larger than usual floral cards, which he plucked out and opened. There was a short note and, oddly enough, a Duel Monsters card inside. Yugi stared in wonder at the card, a Trap card he had never heard of before. Before reading the text on it, though, he read the note to find out who had sent it. Best wishes for a quick recovery, it said, nothing more, but the signature at the bottom made Yugi’s brow twitch with a frown. Maximillian Pegasus. “Pegasus,” he breathed aloud. “How did he know?”
He heard a response within his mind. “He has a way of finding these things out,” Yami reminded.
“I suppose that’s true.” Yugi returned to the Duel Monsters card, then, reading it more carefully. “Rite of Transference…I’ve never heard of this. Have you?”
“Not at all,” Yami said pensively. “What is its effect?”
Yugi read it to himself and then gave a start. “Whoa! This is an awesome card! ‘You can only activate this card on your opponent’s turn. Remove one Dark Magician on the field from play to special summon Sorcerer of Dark Magic from your hand or deck, ignoring the usual conditions.’ Do you know how hard it is to summon Sorcerer of Dark Magic? This would bypass the spellcaster tribute completely.”
“And we have one in our deck,” Yami noted.
Yugi gazed at it longingly for a while, but then shook himself alert and put it back inside the envelope with the note. “But the flowers are for Grandpa, so it’s his card. I’ll bring them up to him in a bit.”
When he was able to take a few minutes to deliver the flowers upstairs, Yugi showed them to his grandfather first before putting them with all the others in the living room. He handed over the envelope and waited to see the reaction. Grandpa Muto read the note first, a boggled look crossing his features. “Pegasus?” he wondered. “I didn’t know he knew I was under the weather.”
“I didn’t either,” Yugi said. “I haven’t talked to him in…well, a while. I don’t know how he found out.”
Grandpa then discovered the Duel Monsters card. “Well, isn’t this interesting. I’ve never seen this card before.”
A rush of thrill passed through Yugi’s heart, hearing that. “It’s not part of any upcoming card lines?”
“Not that I’ve heard. Oo, this is impressive! Summoning Sorcerer of Dark Magic with only one tribute? Nice.” Grandpa eyed it carefully. “Hm, it doesn’t have a card code on it, but it is a legal card. It has the holographic stamp on it. If it came from Maximillian Pegasus…maybe it’s a new card. A special card.” He eyed it even more suspiciously, and then gave his grandson the same look. “But why would he give it to me, just because I had a little heart trouble?”
“A little heart trouble? Grandpa!” Yugi complained.
“Really, though. I’ve never thought of Pegasus as the generous kind. Have you?”
“Well…no…”
Grandpa looked carefully at the card and then began to smile. “Would you like it?”
Yugi blinked. “Me?”
“You do have a Sorcerer of Dark Magic in your deck, don’t you? I’ve never carried one – too hard to summon.” He sat up a little and handed over the card. “I can’t use such a card, rare or not. It’s better off with you.”
Yugi took the card and smiled. “Thanks, Grandpa. You’re sure?”
“Well, I could frame it and treat it as a mint ultra-rare, but…what would be the point?” Grandpa Muto beamed. “Cards are meant to be played with, not hoarded. Go ahead. Put it to good use.”
Laughing a little, Yugi leaped forward to give his grandfather a quick hug before stepping away. “I’ve got to get back to the store,” he realized. “I’ll be back up at dinnertime. Thanks again, Grandpa!” On the way back down, though, he reached into the pouch on his belt and retrieved his deck. He thumbed through it to find the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, and then slipped the Trap card next to it. We may as well trust it, he thought, both to himself and to his partner who knew his every thought. If Pegasus didn’t want us to have it, he wouldn’t have bothered to send flowers so he could give it to us. I’m sure he didn’t send flowers to Grandpa out of the goodness of his heart. He shuffled the deck briefly and stuck it back in its pouch, emerging from the stairs to see that the shop was still as empty as he had left it.
Some days went by rather uneventfully, allowing Yugi to fall into a new routine that didn’t involve classes. He still had to get up early to open the shop, but it wasn’t the same as having to drag himself out of bed to go to classes at the university. Going to work involved simply going downstairs, and it filled him with gratitude for Grandpa Muto’s inspired idea many years ago to build the shop with the flat above it. Taking care of his grandfather wasn’t much of a burden, as he was fairly mobile and resented having to spend so much time in bed when he felt perfectly able to get up and move around. Yugi just had to make sure he was taking his medications at the right time and had no troubles maneuvering around the flat. He had sat down and explained about quitting school right away the same night after talking to his advisor, and was amazed to find that Grandpa understood completely, once he could be convinced that Yugi wasn’t making this choice solely because he felt obligated. No, Yugi wanted this, he wanted to own the store someday, and hearing it put Grandpa’s mind at ease. Yugi then had to spring the news on Joey, since they would no longer be going to classes together or hanging out on campus. Joey took it a little harder, but mostly because he hated to see Yugi down about anything and didn’t want him to worry that this would hurt their friendship. He would miss their hangouts and mutual complaining about professors, but even he knew that Yugi’s life was going in a completely different direction, and he had to follow his own path. Though he said nothing directly, Joey had always expected that someday Yugi would inherit the game shop, and was relieved to see that making the decision to accept it returned Yugi to his usual happy mood.
Kame game shop had barely opened one morning when a dark car pulled up outside and deposited its important passenger on the sidewalk. Yugi had his back to the door, wrestling with a knife and a well-taped box of shipment, when he heard it jingle, making him look up and start. In comparison to the tall figure in a dark business suit and blue tie, Yugi looked positively scruffy in a rumpled t-shirt and jeans with a hole in one knee. Nevertheless, he showed his usual kind politeness as he straightened up to face his visitor. “Kaiba,” he greeted him calmly. “Twice in one month, this has to be some kind of record.”
“Yugi,” Seto Kaiba said in return, also calm but twice as smug. “I’ve heard some interesting things about you lately – about your shop.”
A frown darkened Yugi’s features. “Have you, now?”
Kaiba eyed him but did not crack a smile, not even a nasty one. “Where is your grandpa?”
The frown deepened. “I’m sorry, but he’s not seeing any visitors right now. If it’s business-related, you can talk to me. I’ll be handling all decisions regarding the game shop for a while.”
A subtle gleam came into Kaiba’s blue eyes as he gazed down at the shorter figure safe behind the main counter. “That’s what I’ve heard,” he said. “Heart surgery can be rough. You wouldn’t want him hearing something that might upset him and make his weak heart race.”
Yugi’s frown became a glare. “Kaiba!” he growled. “I didn’t expect you to stoop to such a low. You don’t even care about my Grandpa.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” The young CEO was not carrying a briefcase this time, so he stuck his hands in his pockets and stood facing Yugi with a fairly casual pose. “But I didn’t come here to insult you, as much fun as that usually is. I came here to talk to you as one intelligent man to another.” He still did not smirk, and appeared completely honest as he stared Yugi down. “We’ve been rivals for many years, you and I. Long enough for each of us to know the tenacity and determination of the other. Therefore, you know that I won’t give up on a goal that I’m willing to pursue with all my resources, while I know you won’t back down from my challenge. I know no matter how hard I press you, you’re not going to just give in and take my money when I finally reach a price you’d be willing to accept.”
Yugi eyed him suspiciously, but was listening to every word with interest. “I’m glad we’re in agreement about something,” he remarked.
Kaiba nodded once. “That said, I came to make my offer again in the hope that I can appeal to your reason. I’m sure now I can make you the sort of offer you can’t refuse.”
Yugi folded his arms over his chest, resting them against the Millennium Puzzle dangling around his neck. “Kame game shop is not for sale, period. There isn’t an offer in the world you could make that would change that.”
Kaiba reached to casually straighten his tie, the first hints of smug superiority creeping into his expression and voice. “How long was your grandfather in the hospital, Yugi?”
Glaring, Yugi took a deep breath to stop the hot rush of emotion to his face. He could see where this was going, and already resented it. “A week.”
“That’s a long time,” Kaiba commented. “That must have been a serious surgery to keep him there so long. I bet he’s on a bunch of medications for his heart, now.”
“Get to the point,” Yugi snapped.
Kaiba fixed him with a cool stare. “Those sorts of things cost money, you know. If you haven’t gotten the hospital bills yet, you will soon, and something tells me it’s going to shock the hell out of you.” His blue eyes narrowed. “I’ve looked into the financial history of this property. Without an amazing insurance policy and maybe a little nest egg stashed away somewhere, you’re going to have a hard time paying those bills.”
“And you’ve come here out of the goodness of your heart to offer me the money to pay Grandpa’s hospital bills,” Yugi finished for him.
“You may be a lot of things, Yugi, but stupid isn’t one of them,” Kaiba said seriously. “You’re not so naïve as to think that somehow, the hospital bills are magically going to be taken care of. If it’s bad enough, you’ll have to sell the shop to pay them, regardless. Better off to sell to me than to return it to the bank for nonpayment of loans.”
Yugi’s eyes burned with emotion, but he clenched his jaw to keep from bursting out in anger or anything else. He was indeed intelligent enough to know what Kaiba was talking about, it was one of his worst hidden fears. “You said you looked into the finances of the property?” he challenged. “How?”
“Certain records are public knowledge, if you know where to look.”
“But you don’t know anything about my grandpa’s insurance, or his personal finances. How do you know we don’t have the money?”
Kaiba didn’t twitch a muscle. “I don’t have any facts on that matter, no. But I can make some educated guesses.” The smugness increased a shade. “You’re not rich, Yugi. You’ve never been well-off. Kame game shop has always merely scraped by thanks to a neighborhood customer base and your Duel Monsters reputation. Whether the hit is large or small, either way, you will take a hit when the bills arrive.”
Yugi shook his head weakly. “We’ll make it,” he vowed. “I may not know how, but I have faith in my grandpa. We’ll make it somehow. It could be rough for a while, but we’ll pull through just like we always have. Grandpa never gives up, and neither do I.”
Kaiba stared darkly at him. “Don’t be stupid, Yugi,” he snapped. “You’re not a little kid anymore. It’s time you realized the world doesn’t work on faith and destiny. It runs on money, for good or bad. I’m offering you the chance to take this burden off your grandfather’s shoulders and leave you both with enough money to pay your bills and make a new home.”
“Burden?” Yugi repeated. “It’s not the shop that made Grandpa’s heart weak, if that’s what you’re saying. That’s just the way life is.”
“And do you think this is the last time you’ll have to worry about that?” Kaiba eyed him carefully, reading the flickers of thought in his eyes with practiced patience. “Your grandpa is old, Yugi. I’m sure this incident drove that home for you. The more time goes on, the more problems he’s going to have. Even if you make it through this one, financially, if it happens again, what are you going to do?”
Yugi straightened up and stared Kaiba right back, his arms falling to his sides. “Grandpa and I have talked about the future of the game shop, and he plans to pass it on to me when he retires, whether that’s now or a year or five years from now.”
Kaiba frowned. “What about university?”
“I quit university.”
Kaiba gave a start, and then shook his head in exasperation. “You idiot,” he sighed. “You haven’t the business skills to make it in this world. You need to stay in school, study something safe and simple and go build yourself a nice little career. Be a teacher or a factory manager, something that suits your lack of direction. You’ll never get anywhere being a shopkeeper behind the counter of a tiny place like this that’s slowly going the way of the dinosaur.”
Yugi took an aggressive step towards him. “You don’t know anything about me or my life,” he said sharply. “I have a direction in life, and no university is going to help me with it. I belong right here, running the shop like my grandpa did. If you think about it, I’m only doing the same thing you did,” he added matter-of-factly.
That made Kaiba bristle angrily. “You and I are not alike,” he argued in a low tone. “I was a child prodigy and had learned as much as any university graduate before I was even out of high school. You were one of the worst students in our class and wasted your time gaming. I took my stepfather’s company from him because he was no longer the best one suited to run it. You’re just looking to live on scraps handed down to you. Our situations are nothing alike.”
“Then don’t try to pretend that you understand my situation.” Yugi sighed and stepped back, as if to go back to what he had been doing before the door opened. “I know we’re going to have bills, and I know they’re going to be bad. I know it’s not going to be a good year for us. But we can make it. I want to make my grandpa proud, and if I sell out to you now, I’ll never have the chance to do that. This shop is ours, and someday it’ll be mine. I have an attachment to it that you couldn’t understand.”
Kaiba’s dark look deepened, and he folded his arms gruffly. “What if I go into competition against you, and take all of your business?” he asked in a warning tone. “How will you make ends meet if you can’t offer your customers anything better than a friendly smile and the promise of brushing up against the Duel Monsters world champion for a few minutes?”
Yugi stared intently at him across the counter. “Is that your plan? Are you going to buy out another game shop and force me out of business that way?”
“You have no idea what I have planned for the future of KaibaCorp.” The CEO sniffed haughtily and turned on his heel. “This isn’t over, Yugi. I thought I would be nice and come to you before you lost all of your dignity and were forced to beg me to buy your bankrupt shop off you. Next time, I might not be feeling so generous. If you wait too long, the offer isn’t going to just continue to rise…” He stopped at the door and glared over his shoulder. “Eventually, it’s going to drop, until you’re cursing your stubbornness and wishing you had sold to me when you had the chance.”
“Good day, Kaiba,” Yugi said forcefully, hoping he would take the hint. “If you can’t wish my grandpa good health and a fast recovery, then I’m not giving your offer another thought. I can’t believe you came here when he was down and tried to take advantage of it.”
Kaiba eyed him but didn’t react. “It’s a perfectly legitimate business tactic. Crude, but effective, and neither illegal nor unethical. It just goes to show you, Yugi.” He pushed the door open. “You don’t have the heart or the brains for business.” The door slammed shut behind him.
The red light of sunset glowed through the windows of the game shop as Yugi counted out the till, setting aside the day’s earnings, while talking on the phone with Joey. His best friend had called with delightful news worth sharing: he had gotten up the nerve to ask Mai to move in with him, and she said yes. Joey knew Yugi would want to say “I told you so,” and gave him the satisfaction while cautioning that they weren’t that serious in the relationship yet so Mai would only be occupying the second bedroom as a roommate. “Yeah, but you’re still boyfriend-girlfriend, right?” Yugi said brightly. “Like I said, take it slow. You’ve got all the time in the world to get to know each other, now. It’ll happen when the time is right.”
“Yeah, I know,” Joey sighed. “Hey, speaking of which – what are you going to do with Yami on the next full moon?”
“I don’t know,” Yugi said worriedly. “I can’t close up the shop and skip out on my responsibilities just because of the ritual. We haven’t really talked about it, so I don’t know if he’s okay with being bored just sitting here in the shop with me all day.”
“Ah, he won’t care,” Joey assured. “He loves you, doesn’t he? I’m sure he just wants to be with you. You’ve had a rough month while he’s been in the Puzzle like usual. I can imagine he just wants to get out there and snuggle you like the little cuddly teddy bear you are.”
“Joey!” Yugi blushed fiercely, his hands trembling so much that he dropped the coins he had been counting. He didn’t know what else to say, so he just stood there for a moment collecting himself, taking deep breaths.
Warm, sunny laughter sounded over the phone. “I don’t know where that came from,” Joey confessed, still chuckling. “But you gotta admit, it’s true, Yug.”
“Yeah, but…” Yugi still blushed, but now he was giggling too. “…I think that’s the first time you’ve ever said something like that to me. And weren’t being sarcastic.”
“Eh, what can I say?” Joey said flippantly. “Being around you two woke up some kind of closet romantic I had buried deep down inside, I think.”
“I don’t think it’s being around us that woke up your romantic side,” Yugi suggested.
“Yeah, well…” Joey took a breath and let it out in a huge sigh, giving himself a space in which to change the subject. “You got a couple of weeks, I guess. You don’t have to make any big plans, I’m sure Yami’ll be happy just being out of the Puzzle for a day. But if you want, maybe me and Mai’ll come over and bring dinner for you. How’s that?”
“That sounds kind of nice, Joey,” Yugi said gratefully. “You’ve been so helpful all this time, especially when Grandpa was in the hospital. How am I ever going to thank you?”
“Think of it as payback for all the years you’ve been my best buddy and taught me what I know,” Joey said casually. “You don’t have to say nothin’, Yug. It’s my honor.”
“Thanks,” Yugi sighed. He looked around the shop, noting the time and the growing shadows. “I guess I should go, I have to lock up and walk the deposit down to the bank.”
“Be careful,” Joey warned, as he always did.
“I will. Night, Joey. Tell Mai I said hi.”
Moments after he had hung up and gathered the money into the correct envelope to slip into the bank’s after-hours deposit vault, the phone rang once more. Yugi tucked the deposit safely into an inner pocket of his jacket and leaned across the counter to answer it, already forming the “sorry, we just closed” response in his mind. “Kame game shop…”
“Good evening, Yugi-boy,” an oily voice said over the line. “I trust it’s not too late for me to call?”
“Oh…Pegasus…” Yugi stammered, stunned at the unexpected call. “Um…well, I just closed the shop, but…”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Pegasus said blithely, “this isn’t meant as a business call to keep you open. I just wanted to see if the flowers I sent ever made it.”
“Oh. Well, yes,” Yugi said, “they came a few days ago. Um, thanks. My grandpa was touched that you thought of him.”
“Ah, well, it was the least I could do,” Pegasus said with a little too much drama. “So terrible, to have to be in the hospital. Was it heart surgery, I heard?”
“Yeah.” Yugi frowned to himself, wondering how all these gaming company CEOs were finding out that Mr. Muto had been in the hospital for heart surgery. “He’s fine, though. He’s home now.”
“That’s good. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to him, would we?” Pegasus chuckled a little to himself, as if trying and failing to be sympathetic. “I don’t suppose your rival, Kaiba, bothered to send so much as a get-well card?”
The inevitable question, which Yugi had been expected from the moment he heard the creepy lilting voice over the phone. “He’s been by here twice,” he reported with a grouchy tone. “He’s trying to buy our game shop.”
There was a soft hum over the line, as Pegasus thought to himself. “Yes,” he said, his voice immediately changing to its serious, calculating side. “I heard that was what he might be doing. Has he said why?”
“He won’t tell me anything,” Yugi replied. “Pegasus, did you know he’s been trying to buy Duke Devlin’s game shop, too?”
“Has he, now?” Pegasus mused over this as well, and when he spoke again, sounded far less flippant. “That’s an interesting development. No, I hadn’t thought to check with my young gaming protégé. Perhaps a personal call from his business partner is in order.”
“That’s all I know,” Yugi said quickly to head off any more questioning, already feeling shamefully like a traitor. “And in case you were wondering, no, we’re not selling. Kaiba can do anything he wants to try to persuade us, but we’re not giving in.”
“That’s the spirit,” Pegasus encouraged, his voice returning to its usual lilt. “That’s the Yugi-boy I know. Never surrender. Well, I just called to check on the delivery, and to pass along my sympathies for your grandfather’s convalescence. I know we had some rough times in the past, but if I brightened his day just a little with the flowers, I hope it will patch up our former disagreements.”
Inside Yugi’s mind, he heard an impatient growl of resentment. “He calls stealing Grandpa’s soul a disagreement?” Yami seethed.
Yugi smiled to himself, hearing the complaint, but just went on to wrap up the phone call. “Yes, the flowers were nice, thank you,” he said curtly. “And the card, too.”
Pegasus made a small noise of interest. “I hope your grandfather puts the card to good use,” he said slyly. “It’s one of a kind, you know.”
“We figured. Thank you.” Yugi didn’t know what else to say, so he concluded with, “I have to go, now.”
“Yes, of course, it’s late there. My apologies. Keep an eye on that Kaiba-boy,” Pegasus added. “You never know what lengths he’ll go to for the sake of a choice prize. Farewell, Yugi-boy.”
Yami’s phantom visage with folded arms hovered into sight the moment Yugi hung up the phone. “I don’t understand Pegasus one bit,” he griped. “Does he really expect Kaiba to do something underhanded in order to obtain the game shops?”
“Maybe three years ago, he might have,” Yugi sighed. “But I don’t think Pegasus realizes what we’ve all been through in this time, how much we’ve all grown up. Besides.” He gave his translucent partner a wry smile. “I don’t know that Kame game shop is all that choice a prize.”
Yami smiled. “Maybe not to him,” he offered, “but it is to us.”
“It sure is.” Yugi checked his pocket to make sure the deposit was well hidden. “Come on, let’s go get this taken care of. I don’t want to be out after dark.”